Automatic switching device



Feb. 14, 1950 B. A. HARVEY ETAL.

AUTOMATIC SWITCHING DEVICE Filed Feb. 18, 1949 Fig /fef/fLff/l 41m 3 fD 5W l n V/J/ m /I m 7 w n 6 f M Vm wl 5 u@ e z @AP vm@ ,mmc .n w.. @E x9 B 00 n/N Thevr- Attorney Patented Feb. 14, 1950 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 2,497,671 AUTOMATIC SWITCHING DEVICE Bernard A. Harvey, Liverpool, and Eric O. Peterson, Syracuse, N. Y., assignors to General Electric Company, a corporation of New York Application February 18, 1949, Serial No. 77,204

(Cl. ZOO-54) 2 Claims.

Our invention relates to radio receivers of the .A l

type adapted to be energized by a self-contained source of electrical power and more particularly to the above type radio receivers in which an antenna loop for the receiver is located within the door or cover of an enclosing cabinet.

In a receiver of the above character, the door,A

vide, in a receiver of the above type, a switchingdevice which automatically disconnects the receiver from its internal power source when the antenna door assembly is closed.

In order to permit the utilization either of an external or internal power source with the above type receiver, it is customary to employ a ganged multiple contact switch which accomplishes the. required circuit changes by a single movement of the switching armature. Therefore, a further specic object of our invention is to provide in a receiver of the above character a device whichmay be used in conjunction with a switch of the above type in order to disconnect the internal power source by automatically throwing the switch to its external power receiving position when the door is closed.

' In general, our invention comprehends a multiple contact switch arranged in the form of a at strip mounted beneath a at supporting member which faces the door of an enclosing cabinet. In a preferred embodiment of our invention, this switch has a plurality of longitudinally displaced contact lugs which are connected in proper relation by the contacting members of an armature which moves laterally between an internal power connecting position and an external power connecting position. A switching handle rigidly secured to this contacting armature and extending through an aperture in the supporting member is fastened to a wedge shaped member which is inclined at a considerable angle from the outer surface of the supporting member. A projecting member is secured to the cabinet door or cover and is aligned above the inclined surface of the wedge shaped power connecting position and strikes this inclined surface when the door is closed thereby enforcing an automatic lateral movement of the armature to its external power connecting position.

The novel features which we believe to be characteristic of this invention are set forth with particularty in the appended claims. The invention itself, however, together with furtherA objects and advantages thereof may best be understood by reference to the following descriptiontaken in connection with the accompanying drawing in which Fig. l is a front sectional viewy of a-portion of a receiver and cabinet in conjunction with one form of a switching devicev embodying the invention, Fig. 2 is a side sectional view of the operating members illustratedv in Fig. 1 and Fig. 3 is a plan view taken from` the line 3-3 of Fig. 1.

Referring to Fig. 1, we have shown the invention in one form in conjunction with a multiple contact switch I having a plurality of contact lugs 2 longitudinally displaced on either side of an insulatingsupporting strip 3. This strip 3 is maintained in parallel spaced relation to a flat supporting member 4, which may be a receiver chassis, by a plurality of screws 5 and separating spacers 6. As can best be seen by reference to Fig. 2, a switching armature 1,

composed of suitable insulating material rests` on the supporting strip 3 and carries a plurality of iiat contact-making conductive flanges 8 extending beneath the strip 3 through suitable longitudinal slots 9 formed therein. The flanges 8 make conductive contact between combinations of opposing and adjacent contact lugs 2 and accomplish the switching function -by a limited lateral movement, together with the armature l, between two predetermined positions.

In order to permit external operation of the switch I, a switching handle I0, which may be an integral part of the switching armature 'I or a separate member secured thereto as illustrated in Fig. 1 and Fig. 2, is extended through a suitable aperture I I formed in supporting member 4. This switch handle preferably has a T-shaped configuration adapted to fit beneath an encasing member I2, such as a receiver control panel, in order to limit the direction of movement of the switching handle I0 and to protect it from being easily broken. The top of the switching handle I0 may be extended as illustrated in the drawings through an opening I2 in encasing member I2 to permit the manual member when the armature is in its internal u operation of this switch I.

In order automatically to operate the switch I when a door I3 of an enclosing cabinet (not shown) is closed, we provide a wedge-shaped member I4 secured to the switching handle I0 and resting on the outer surface of supporting member 4. One surface I 5 of this wedge-shaped member I 4 is inclined at a considerable angle from supporting fmember 4. "'It will be appreciated, of course, thatthe door I3 may `'contain or support an antenna loop for the radio receiver.

Secured to the door I 3 at a point that is aligned to the upper portion of this inclined surface 4I5 when the switching armature I is in its internal power connecting position is aprojecting flange or striking member I6. As v:indicated 'in Fig. l2,

*necting position and an internal power connectwhen the door I3 is closed, the projecting mem- Y ber I6 descends through an aperture I-1 :formed in encasing member I2 and strikes the inclined surface I5 of the wedge shaped member I4. The direction of the inclination of the surface of the wedge shaped member I4 -is constructed 'to be such that the switching armature is forced by the striking member yI6 to its internal power disconnecting position.

The position of the switching handle I0 and wedge I4 when the `door is closed can best 4be seen by reference to--Fig 3. As illustrated in this gure, the position of .the switch is preferably indicated by suitable markings Aon the top of the handle.

In the operation of the invention, an internal source of power such as battery system Vis connected to a proper combination of contact :lugs 2 so that this internal vpower source is lapplied to the receiver when the switching 4armature fl is in a position which aligns the 'Wedge-'shaped member I4 -to the striking mem-ber I6. As explained above, the `armature 1 will then -'aiutomatically be moved to its other position thereby disconnecting -the Iinternal l'power source when the door I3 is Closed.

Although the switch I lmay be employed 'to serve only as an internal power connecting medium, it will -be appreciated that this-switching arrangement may, in addition, be employed most advantageously to achieve the connection -to l an external power source by simplyconnec'tingfsuitable external power receiving terminals to 'the combination of contact lugs 2 which are interconnected when the `switch -I is in its internal power disconnecting position.

Although we have-shown a -particular embodiment-of our invention, 'it will be 'understood that we do not wish to -be limited thereto -sin'ce many modications may be made, and "we, therefore,

intend by the appended claims to cover all such modifications as fall within the true spirit and scope of the invention. 1

What We claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. In -a radio receiver having -a self contained source of electrical power and an enclosing cabinet having a l'door holding 'the antenna ffor ing position, a Wedge shaped member secured to the external portion of said armature and having one surface `inclined to said supporting member, and a `projecting member secured to said 'cabinet 'door 'above said inclined surface when said armature is in said internal power connecting position thereby to strike said inclined surface 'as the door descends and to move said armature away from said internal power connecting position when Ysaid door is closed. y

J2. In -a radio receiver adapted t0 be connected to internal batteries or to an external power source and having an enclosing cabinet including a door, means automatically to disconnect said internal rbatteries from said receiver when said door is closed comprising va flat 4supporting member located within -said cabinet facing said door and having van aperture formed therein, `a multiple contact switch supported by said supporting member beneath said aperture, said switch having a switching armature arranged manually to be moved in a direction parallel to the plane of said supporting member between an internal battery connecting position and an eX- ternal terminal connecting position, a manually operable switching handle secured to said armature and extending through said aperture,v a wedge shaped member secured to said handle and resting on the outer surface of said supporting member, said wedge shaped member having one surface inclined to said supporting member, and -a striking member projecting from said door ata point aligned to the upper portion of said inclined surface when said armature is in said battery connecting position thereby to strike said inclined surface as said door descends vand to enforce a lateral movement of said armature away from said internal battery 'connecting position vwhen said door is closed.

BERNARD A. HARVEY. ERIC O. PETERSON.

REFERENCES CITED K The following references are of record in the le of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number A Name Date 1,933,700 Bl'o'dgett Nov. 7, 1933 1,950,515 Proctor Mar, 13, 1934 2,064,828 Grohsgal Dec. 22, 1936 '2,407,439 Olson Sept. 10, 1946 

